Are Dark Tide Relics shipwreck coins authentic?

Every shipwreck coin and artifact sold by Dark Tide Relics is authenticated and accompanied by provenance documentation from recognized authorities such as the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society, NGC, or PCGS, plus a permanent digital provenance record via TreasureCheck.ai.

Which shipwrecks does Dark Tide Relics specialize in?

Dark Tide Relics curates artifacts from the Nuestra Señora de Atocha (1622), Santa Margarita, the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet, El Cazador (1784), SS Central America (1857), Maravillas, Concepción, and other documented Spanish colonial and American Gold Rush wrecks.

How are orders shipped?

All orders ship via FedEx, fully insured and with adult signature required on delivery.

Does Dark Tide Relics buy shipwreck coins from collectors?

Yes. Dark Tide Relics actively acquires authenticated shipwreck coins and collections. Submissions can be made through the Sell Coins program at darktiderelics.com/sell-coins.

Consolación

Lost: 1681
Location: Santa Clara Island, Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador
Coordinates: -3.1700, -80.4400
Era: Spanish Colonial – Late 17th Century
Coinage: cob
Discovered by: Local divers / Ecuadorian salvage groups
Recovery: 1998
Cargo: Potosí "Star of Lima" cobs, Silver bars, Mercury flasks

Peru-bound silver ship wrecked on Santa Clara Island off Ecuador while fleeing Bartholomew Sharp's buccaneers — a documented loss wrapped in a torching-and-beheading legend that modern research finds no evidence to support.

History

The Santa María de la Consolación was carrying Peruvian silver north in 1681 when she was pursued by the English buccaneer Bartholomew Sharp and wrecked on Santa Clara Island at the mouth of the Gulf of Guayaquil. A popularly repeated version of the loss — that the crew torched the ship to deny Sharp the treasure, and that his furious men then tortured and beheaded captured Spaniards, giving the island its nickname "Isla del Muerto" — has been examined by historians against the documentary record of Sharp's voyage and does not hold up; it is best treated as legend rather than established history.

Recovery

Local divers found silver coins in the surf in the mid-1990s, leading to a private Ecuadorian salvage operation, backed by tuna-fishery owner Roberto Aguirre, that worked the site under government permit into the early 2000s. Reported recoveries included roughly 16,000 Potosí-minted silver coins and quantities of ceramic cargo, figures drawn from salvors' and press accounts rather than an audited manifest.

Timeline

1681 — Sails North with Peruvian Silver — Carrying silver up the Pacific coast toward Panama.
1681 — Pursued and Wrecked — Wrecks on Santa Clara Island while fleeing Bartholomew Sharp's buccaneers.
1681 — Legend Takes Shape — A later torching-and-beheading story becomes attached to the loss; modern historians dispute it.
1995–2003 — Permitted Salvage — A private, government-permitted operation recovers roughly 16,000 silver coins and ceramic cargo.

Notes

The torching-and-beheading story often told about this wreck is disputed legend, not documented history
Wrecked while fleeing Bartholomew Sharp's buccaneers in 1681
Modern salvage recovered roughly 16,000 Potosí-minted silver coins by the early 2000s